§ Mr. SpeakerI have received a note from the Serjeant at Arms which he has asked me to read. It says:
The Division bells were found to be defective when the House met this afternoon. 413 Temporary repairs have been effected, but the bells cannot be considered reliable at this day's sitting.
§ Sir Harmar NichollsOn a point of order. Regarding the note from the Serjeant at Arms which you read a short while ago, Mr. Speaker, I am wondering what may happen later in the day if we have a vital vote and the bells are not operating. Although we may have had warning, what will be the effectiveness of the vote? How can the House be deemed to have given its considered view to a matter if it has not been given the traditional warning it has been led to expect?
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that we will have to improvise as we go along. It should be possible to extend the time for a Division to overcome the difficulty.
§ Mr. HeathFurther to that point of order on what is an important matter. It may be that you will have to take a decision when the occasion occurs, Mr. Speaker. However, if it should happen that the Division bells outside the House do not ring, then we may face the situation that many hon. Members will not have had any indication that the bells are ineffective or that a Division is taking place. I mention this at this point because if the Division bells do not ring outside the House, as they customarily do, the hon. Members concerned will not have had effective warning, apart from the verbal one which you have given, Mr. Speaker, which may not have come to their notice. A serious situation might arise and we may have to ask for the vote to be reviewed.
§ Several Hon. Members rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I must protect the business of the House. Mr. McNamara.
§ Mr. McNamaraFurther to the point of order. In view of the rather difficult circumstances in which the House finds 414 itself, would it not be in order to send for the right hon. and learned Member for St. Marylebone (Mr. Hogg)?
§ Mr. SpeakerWe should have serious points of order. Bogus ones merely waste the time of the House. The right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition was right to call attention to the seriousness of the matter. We will have to deal with the issue when it arises at Ten o'clock. It is a difficulty, but the staff are doing what they can to repair the bells.
§ Sir Harmar NichollsFurther to my point of order—
§ Mr. SpeakerAgain?
§ Sir Harmar NichollsYes, Mr. Speaker, and I thank you. You indicated that you might possibly extend the time for a Division. Is it possible, under the present rules of the House, for that to be done, or should we do something now to enable you to take that course should the occasion arise?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe House is asking me to deal with the matter when it arises. The hon. Gentleman is suggesting that perhaps I will not be able to deal with it because I do not have the necessary power. I think that the House is prepared to give Mr. Speaker the power, in the circumstances.